This Is Nice
by longlivelukeandlorelai
Summary: Another 'should have been.' Takes place during A-Tisket, A-tasket. You all know they should have gotten together. LL. RR please!


**A/N:** Takes place during "A-Tisket, A-Tasket". Another should have been. I am really getting into those now. Do you know how many possible ways Luke and Lorelai could have gotten together? The mind boggles. Anyway, Luke bids on Lorelai's basket. You all know that they should have gotten together. Heck, some of you probably already wrote one where they do. Oh, and most of this is dialog from the show. Enjoy!

This Is Nice 

Lorelai looked at the two men, horrified. _These are men that Patty got for me out of pity, and I have to eat with one of them! Oh, no no no. Not going to happen. Need plan. _She looked around, fearing that her usually diabolical mind wouldn't think up anything in time to save her from this very bad situation. That is when she spotted Luke in the window of his dinner. She smiled. _Ha, ha!_ She jogged, or ran, to the dinner. When she burst through the door she didn't see him anymore. "Luke!" she looked around, frantic. "Where is he, where is he? I need him!" she ran to the counter, almost knocking over a chair, "Caesar where is…" That is when she spotted him coming around the counter, heading for a near by table. "Agh, agh, thank God. Hey, hey, you gotta come with me."

Luke could barley turn around when he felt her pull his arm. "What are you doing? Hey, hey, I got plates here!"

Lorelai continued to pull, looking out the window every few seconds to make sure they were still bidding. "Put the burgers down. Caesar, you're in charge."

Luke frowned. "Now wait." He said, practically flinging the plates on the table so he could prevent them from landing on the floor.

Lorelai had let go of him and rushed to the counter. "Do you have money? I need money." She looked at the cash register that was in front of her, and creased her brow in frustration. "Which one opens this thing?" She started to push random buttons. "Is it that one, not that one."

Luke was now confused and a little irritated. He swatted her hands away from the cash register. "Stop messing with that."

She turned to him, almost panicked now. "Luke, you gotta come out there with me. Patty gave my picture out to all these guys because she thinks I need a man."

He glared at her. _This is why she is trying to rob me? Because of a guy? _He rolled his eyes, "You do, one with a nice couch and a deep knowledge of Freud."

Lorelai grabbed his arm again, ignoring his comment. She started pulling him toward the door. "You have to come out and bid on my basket."

Luke stopped, almost shocked at her request. Actually, it was more like a demand. "Are you serious?"

She looked at him, over her shoulder. "Yes."

He shook his head. "I have never in my life taken part in one of these crazy group flip outs." He said, pointing out side. "I'm not about to start now."

Lorelai was jumping up and down now. She looked like a little kid who really had to use the restroom. "But-right now- out there- the…"

"Just buy your own basket." He suggested.

She looked at him, disgusted. "I cannot buy my own basket."

"Why not?" He asked, a bit curious.

"Because that is pathetic." She stated.

He raised an eyebrow, and folded his arms across his chest. "And chasing me around my diner begging me to buy your basket?"

"Also pathetic." She agreed. Then rose a finger. "But that is a pathetic I can live with, where that pathetic is a truly pathetic pathetic, and only you can save me from the double pathetic! Please!"

She stuck her bottom lip out, and Luke's shoulders sank. _That is not fair. _He gave a heavy sigh, and headed for the door. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

She clapped her hands together in front of her. "Ha, ha! Hurry up. Hurry up!" she said, rushing him out the door.

Lorelai and Luke walked up to the crowd, and Lorelai was relieved to still hear bidding. The three men, one blonde and short the other brunet and lanky and the next had black hair and was not so skinny, looked frustrated and eager. "Forty-five fifty." The blonde one said.

"Forty-six." Retorted mister tall, dark and not so handsome.

"Forty-six fifty." Said black hair, smiling at Lorelai. She winced.

"Forty-seven." The blonde was back in the game.

Lorelai looked at Luke with anticipating eyes. When he just stood there, she nudged him with her elbow. "Go, go on."

Luke looked at her as if she had told a bad joke. "Forty-seven dollars? Are you kidding me?"

"Luke!"

They both looked back at the bidding, and heard the brunet say, "Forty-seven fifty!"

Luke shook his head. "For what? Two stale Pop Tarts and a Slim Jim?"

Lorelai was surprised at how well he knew her, but right now she was worried more about eating with one of the three stooges. "Okay, you're not getting the whole saving me here thing, are you?"

Luke looked over at her, and kind of felt good that she wanted him to save her. "Fine. Forty-eight."

All three men looked over at him with anger, and the blonde crinkled his brow. "Forty-eight fifty."

"Forty-nine." Luke said.

Now the brunet jumped in. "Forty-nine fifty."

Luke took out his wallet, counting the money inside. "Uh, fifty-two fifty."

The blonde looked at Taylor in confusion. " What? We're just supposed to go up to fifty."

Luke shrugged. "I have a life."

Lorelai looked at Taylor, who was debating weather or not to bend the rules. She decided to take matters into her own hands. "Fifty-two fifty going once!"

Taylor was shot back into the bidding. "Hey, hey, that's my job! Fifty-two fifty going once, fifty-two fifty going twice…"

Lorelai closed her eyes, and put her hands into a prayer like form. "Oh, please God."

Taylor slammed down his gravel. "Sold for fifty-two fifty."

Lorelai shot up into the air, knocking Luke back a little. "Yes!" She looked around, and noticed that the three guys were looking at her disappointedly. "Ha, ha, sorry guys don't feel bad. I'm totally into Dungeons and Dragons. You've skated."

Taylor looked around at the crowed in front of him. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes the basket bidding for today. Victors come claim your prizes and your dates. Let the lunching begin!"

The crowed headed in different directions. Lorelai followed Luke to the gazebo to retrieve her basket. "You rock!"

He smiled. "Thank you." He said over his shoulder.

She smiled back. "You're welcome."

He turned, basket in hand. "So what do we do now?"

She shrugged. "I guess we eat."

Luke raised an eyebrow, and lifted the tiny basket in front of her. "This?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah."

Luke glared at her. "First I have to buy it, then I have to eat it?"

Lorelai gasped, putting her hands on her hips. "Hey, the basket of botulism does come with my company."

He was all too aware of that. And he planed on eating with her; he just needed to keep up with his reputation. "Huh. You don't eat with your mouth open do you?"

Lorelai dropped her hands, and shook her head. "Women don't eat at all. We just look at food and jump on the treadmill."

He nodded his head in acceptance, and started to walk. "All right, let's go."

She followed him to the steps of the gazebo, and frowned. When he sat on the bench, she was near a pout. She plopped down next to him. "We're supposed to be eating on the ground."

Luke looked up from investigating the basket. "Says who?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. "Every picture you've ever seen of a picnic shows people eating on the ground."

Luke went back to the basket. "Yes, and every time I have seen a picture of people eating on the ground I've thought, what the hell are you people doing sitting on the ground? Spring for some beach chairs, you cheapskates."

Lorelai chuckled; _I thought that I was the one that ranted. _She was about to say just that when she saw Lane running toward them. "Hey Lorelai, do you have your cell phone?"

As Lane and Lorelai had a short talk about cell phones, Luke had discovered that his suspicions were right. And there is no way in hell he was going to eat Slim Jims. So, as Lane was leaving, he got up. Lorelai frowned. "Hey, where are you going?"

He stopped at the end of the stairs. He pointed toward the diner. "I am going to the diner, I am going to get us some edible food and I'm gonna bring it back here for us to eat."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes into a glare. "That is so not the point of today. I made this." She said, pointing to the basket that took her two minutes to make (including shopping time). "I am insulted. I will now proceed to pout."

Luke knew exactly what would make her stop, and didn't hesitate to use it. "I'll bring back some brownies."

Lorelai suddenly brightened up, throwing him one of those smiles that could make a man as "manly" as Luke, go weak in the knees. "Ohh, the pouting has left the building."

He nodded in an 'I thought so' fashion, and headed for the dinner. Leaving Lorelai Gilmore alone to entertain herself. She looked around her, suddenly curious as to whom was paired up with whom. She saw Jackson and Sookie sitting near by, was Sookie crying? She watched them as they kissed. _I want that. Why can't eye find a guy who knows me and can take care of me like that._ She turned toward the dinner, and watched Luke make her a cheeseburger. She was again struck by how well Luke knew her. He was placing ingredients on her burger without thinking about it. He even put extra chocolate frosting on her brownie without a second thought. She smiled. _He's so good to me. _That is when it hit her. It wasn't one of those gradual realizations, it was more like a flood of feelings. Memories of him taking care of her, fixing things for her, making her coffee, they all came closing in on her. And after that, the only thing that she thought of was _why didn't I see it sooner? _She was snapped back into reality by his presence. She looked at him and gave him a nervous smile when he handed her the cheeseburger. "You know," she said after taking a bite, "your burgers actually taste better outside."

"Good." he replied, taking a bite of a carrot. "Next time the roof in the diner's leaking, I'll just rip the stupid thing off."

She nodded, then sat in silence. What to say to the man you just figured out you had feeling for? That is a harder question than a person would think. Then she decided to see if she could get him to realize what she was feeling. Suddenly her confidence and charm were in full swing, set to one goal. "So this is nice, huh?" she said. She nudged him with her shoulder. "Come on, admit it."

"Never." He said, smiling.

She tilted her head to the side. "What? Admit it, you would rather be sitting out here than inside working."

He seemed to consider this, than took another bite of his carrot. "The diner's probably on fire by now."

_Drama queen. _"You are stubborn."

He was taken aback, and almost choked on his carrot. "I'm stubborn?"

She smiled widely and nodded. "Yah, you're stubborn."

That made him snort. "You're Miss Flexibility over here?"

She frowned. "Hey, I can be flexible."

Again, he snorted. He shook his head, "Please."

Lorelai hit him in the arm with her hand, feeling a spark at contact. "I can. As long as everything is exactly the way I want it, I'm totally flexible."

"Ah, well, my mistake." He said sarcastically.

She didn't know what to say next. She looked down at her plate, and picked up a French fry. She held it up to his face. "Do you want a fry?"

He held up his carrot, "You want a carrot?"

She crinkled her nose. "Impossible."

"Right back at ya." He watched her pop the fry into her mouth, and sighed. Something was different. He just couldn't put his finger on it. "So let me ask you something."

Lorelai looked down at her grease covered hands and stuck them out. "Napkin, please."

He handed her an napkin, "Who did you want to get your basket?"

She stopped cleaning her hands at the question. He bluntness stunned her. "What?"

He shrugged. "I mean, before you knew Patty was gonna put you on the Dating Game, you did pack this disgusting lunch and bring it out her, so who did you want to get it?"

_Oh, he is making this way to easy._ She smiled inside because of his obvious curiosity. She took this as a hint that he liked her. Actually, she didn't really need a hint. The whole town had told her he has been pining for her. Now all she had to do was get him to see that she had realized the error of ignoring his affection. "Well, last year Roy Wilkins bought it and I got my sprinklers fixed for half price."

He nodded. "Uh huh."

"And this year my rain gutters are completely clogged, and I thought if I could get the Collins kid to bite, I'd get that taken care of."

He nodded again. "Very practical."

"I thought so."

He rose an eyebrow at her. "So the participation in this thing was purely for home improvement reasons?"

"Yes." _At first. "_ And I don't know, it's a nice concept."

He creased his forehead in curiosity. "What is?"

_Okay, here we go. Read the signs Luke. _She looked into his blue eyes which were full of curiosity and admiration. "Just having someone who you love or have some kind of crazy crush on bid on your basket and then share a romantic lunch, it's a nice concept."

To her dismay he didn't really get the underlying meaning of her explanation. "Well, I'm sure someday you'll manage to find the right guy and drag him out to this thing and make him buy your stupid basket and then you'll be sitting out here with him"

This made her decide to take a more obvious course, the thought of which made her stomach fill with butterflies. "You know what?" she said. He tilted his head in a questioning way, and she smiled. "I think I already found him"

Luke's eyes got so big, that if you were to pass by at that very moment you would have thought he had seen a ghost. "Lorelai, what…"

She grabbed his face and planted one on him. The gazebo and burger, even the brownie was forgotten. The butterflies started to rise into her throat when he didn't respond. Then she sighed heavily as he started to kiss her back. She melted into him, and kissed him hungrily. His hands fell to her waist, and pulled her against him as her arms wrapped around his neck. One hand left her waist, and traveled to her hair. She smiled into the kiss, and had never been happier at her hasty decision making. They parted, both breathing heavily. Luke searched her face, trying to compute all that had just happened. Then he smiled. "You know what?"

Lorelai took a deep breathe, smelling his cologne. She ran her hand up and down his arm. "What?"

He leaned in and kissed her cheek, then moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "This is nice."


End file.
